The Brother System
by la2319
Summary: Title is a play off 'the buddy system' I know, I know, verrrry creative. Ginny reflects on the many many older brothers she has.
1. Chapter 1

Do you remember riding a Ferris wheel? Spinning round and round until your time was done, until the people started getting off.

Do you remember the end? Suspended so high up that anyone afraid of heights was sure to be nauseous. Waiting, tipping back and forth at the top while the people below were laughing and getting off with their groups.

I remember it. I remember being six years old and sitting alone at the very tippy top, thinking how strange it was that while the other six-year-olds held on to their Mummys that I was sitting here, knowing _my_ mother would have had a heart attack if she knew I'd run away.

My sole option was joining the circus, but since we didn't have one of those I figured joining an amusement park crew was just as good, right?

Being six isn't rather as fun as I thought it would be. You were older than five, but not old enough to do the things your brothers were doing.

After all, Bill had a girlfriend, as did Charlie, Percy was always allowed to tag along with Daddy when he went to work, and the twins always had Mum's attention. Even when she was yelling at them, you could see the laughter in her eyes after their latest invention went off.

And then there was Ron.

My only conviction to joining the amusement park crew was Ronald.

At seven years old, he was the other misfit of the family. He was taller than the twins, with an even bigger head, and giant feet.

He and I are the only kids in the Weasley family who don't stand out.

There was Bill and Charlie, the absolute height of cool, and then there was Percy, the smartest older brother anyone could ever have (and rather good at French braiding my hair), and then the twins. They were the funniest people you'd ever meet in your life.

But then Ron and I came out.

Charlie always said that after five children, there was no good qualities left to give to the sixth and seventh. Charlie always said so many nasty things. Ron told me that Charlie only said that because he was jealous of us, but I couldn't see anything to be jealous about. I had small ears, huge eyes, and I was as coordinated as a newly born Giraffe.

So I got on the Ferris wheel, and I told myself I would never ever get off, because this was my home now.

And then I saw him.

Charlie was getting on, in my compartment, sitting down next to me. He wouldn't look at me, he was ashamed of me. I knew he would be, and suddenly I was ashamed of myself.

"Come home," he whispered, turning to me finally.

What I saw scared me more than anything ever has. Charlie had tears in his eyes. My older brother, big, tough, Charlie . . . was crying.

"Please come home, Neeny."

Neeny. He was using my nickname. When I was learning to talk, I would say Neeny instead of Ginny, and that was what everyone called me.

"We were worried sick."

"You said no one wanted a seventh baby," I snuffed, crossing my little arms.

"Seven is the luckiest number, Neeny. I thought I told you that," he smiled, putting one of his long arms around me.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie!"

He smiled harder, and we wiped away each other's tears. For the rest of the ride, I sat cuddled in his lap.

And that is why Charlie is my favorite brother.


	2. Chapter 2

When Mum was pregnant with me, everyone just automatically assumed that out would pop another baby boy. So, as you can imagine, after practically nine months of waiting for their new little baby brother, my six older brothers were more than a little disappointed when my Mum proudly displayed me, their new baby _sister_.

And after that, it all went downhill.

Ron, being only a little toddler at that time, didn't really care whether I was a boy or a girl—which is probably why I was close to him when I was little—but the others . . . they had really wanted that brother.

Except Bill.

He was the first to ask to hold me, right there in Mum's hospital room, was the first of my brothers to change my diaper (through Mum's request, of course), and was the first to offer to take me when Mum's arms were just plain tired.

Summers were always my favorite, because that meant that Bill was home.

He would always play with me when he came, but only if no one else was there.

As soon as one of his friends came over, or he was hanging out with his girlfriend, it was like he didn't even know me.

It hurt so much to see the brother who'd always been my protector be so cold. I don't think I would have been as hurt if it had been any other brother, but this was _Bill_.

I remember when I was four years old, Charlie was teasing me after Mum had set me up in some frilly pink dress. Bill was right there beside me, yelling at him. It got so bad that Bill slugged Charlie—something I would normally never want to see happen between my brothers—for_ me_. No one teased me after that—well, at least, not very badly when Bill was in the vicinity.

So, here was this amazing older brother who'd always been there for me, and was now treating me like dirt in front of his other 'cool' friends.

I couldn't believe that he was the same person.

On these occasions he would join in with Charlie in making fun of the latest puffy dress Mum had shoved me in—she was never ready to accept that I would have rather worn Ron's old clothes.

There was one instance where I almost lost Bill's trust.

It was the Christmas of his seventh year, and he'd brought his girlfriend home with him. Mum was ecstatic to have another added to the Weasley Christmas dinner.

I wanted to be with Bill before he went back to Hogwarts, but so did his girlfriend, Alison.

"Bill, she's back," Alison would always say when I came up to them, rolling her eyes and holding onto Bill's arm.

"Neeny, go away!" he would yell, pushing me out of his room.

"But Billy," I whined. That was mistake number one.

I was the only one he would let call him Billy. He hated the name with every fiber of his being, but he still let me call him Billy whenever we were together. But he had to be macho in front of his girlfriend, and what's any less macho than being called 'Billy'?

"Get out!" he picked me up like a disease and shoved me out of his room. I fell into the wall, wide eyed and teary.

"Bill!" I screamed, pounding on the door that had just closed in my face. That was mistake number two.

He yanked open the door again, with me still screaming on the other side, and slapped me hard across the face.

Mouth gaping open like a fish, I'd gone running to my mother, who'd given a good talking to Bill, and sent Alison home.

As soon as she was gone, he'd apologized like crazy, begged me to forgive him. I did, because he was my brother.

He never treated me badly ever again after that, even in front of his friends. And he certainly doesn't care in front of Fleur. Although, he doesn't like it when I call him Billy, he won't let me anymore.

Even though we're far apart in age, we're closer than ever in spirit, and we always will be. Charlie may be my favorite, but Bill is a very close second. He'll always be more than just my brother. He's my _friend_.


End file.
